“Hmph. The Snowbound Alliance puts on this show every time,”

  a red-bearded elder muttered darkly as he stared at the giant bird in the sky.

  “They flaunt that Snowcloud Crane just because Frost Condensation Peak lacks a guardian spirit beast. One of these days, I’ll stew that thing and see how they boast then.”

  Sect Master Han Jing’s expression did not change. Inside his sleeve, his right hand formed two fingers and traced a swift arc.

  A streak of icy-blue sword light shot skyward from behind him. In midair, it unfurled and transformed into a colossal ice crystal dragon dozens of zhang long, its entire body translucent and gleaming. The dragon raised its head and let out a long cry—clear and resonant, like frozen springs striking stone, piercing straight through the clouds.

  The biting cold radiating from its body was so intense that even the falling snowflakes froze mid-descent.

  The Snowcloud Crane’s wings faltered slightly as it hovered in place. Its head turned toward the ice dragon, golden pupils revealing a trace of solemn caution.

  From the crane’s back came an aged laugh.

  “Fellow Daoist Han Jing’s Ice Soul Condensed Dragon Art grows ever more refined,”

  said the white-bearded elder standing at the crane’s head, stroking his beard with a smile.

  “The dragon soul is solid, the cold piercing to the bone. Truly admirable.”

  He continued calmly,

  “The twenty-year accord has come again. If my Snowbound Alliance prevails this time, then the eighty-one Abyssal Frost Relics your sect claimed back then should be returned to their rightful owner. In addition, per our old agreement, three hundred Ice Soul Swords shall be added as stakes.”

  Han Jing replied evenly,

  “Elder Ouyang may rest assured. Frost Condensation Peak always honors its word. Likewise, should our sect prevail by fortune, we ask that your alliance not begrudge us the inheritance of the Snowbinding Soul Command.”

  As the words fell, the ice dragon flicked its massive body and dissolved into flowing light, vanishing back into Han Jing’s sleeve.

  Only then did the Snowcloud Crane slowly beat its wings, circling once above Frost Condensation Peak before descending toward a wide ice platform.

  Disciples of Frost Condensation Peak retreated in unison, clearing a large space. Several elders frowned, casting dissatisfied looks toward their disciples’ overly yielding response.

  The Snowcloud Crane landed and lowered itself. More than a dozen figures leapt down gracefully from its back. Aside from three elders whose auras ran deep and unfathomable, the rest were all relatively young, men and women alike.

  The Snowbound Alliance disciples seemed to have done so deliberately—each wore elegant moon-white robes embroidered with silver patterns, the formal attire of a northern great sect’s core disciples, starkly contrasting with the dark azure garments of Frost Condensation Peak’s inner disciples.

  More striking still was their appearance. Without exception, the Snowbound Alliance disciples were refined in bearing and outstanding in looks.

  Especially the two at the front.

  The man appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with swordlike brows and star-bright eyes. His posture was upright, a plain, ancient sword strapped to his back, faint snow patterns flowing along its sheath. Standing upon the ice platform with robes fluttering and long hair stirring in the wind, his heroic presence was unmistakable, causing several female disciples of Frost Condensation Peak to momentarily lose focus.

  Beside him stood a young woman in her early twenties. She wore a moon-white gown with a pale violet gauze cloak draped over it. Her features were delicate and otherworldly. As her eyes moved, carrying a faint smile, her gaze alone caused many young disciples’ hearts to stir, their breathing unconsciously slowing.

  Yun Che stood among the rear ranks. When his eyes fell upon the woman in violet, his heart gave a sudden jolt.

  But he immediately grew alert.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Deep within his dantian, the faint specks of light stirred in response, trembling softly as a cool, cleansing current flowed through his body. The brief haze vanished instantly.

  He looked at the woman again, his gaze sinking slightly.

  “When did the Snowbound Alliance begin cultivating such mind-influencing techniques?”

  a cold-faced elder suddenly spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it pierced the disciples’ ears like an ice awl.

  “Such methods hardly befit the bearing of a great sect.”

  The Frost Condensation Peak disciples snapped back to awareness, expressions shifting with surprise and suspicion.

  Among the Snowbound Alliance elders, the white-bearded one at the center laughed heartily.

  “Elder Ling Shuang need not be concerned. I am Ouyang Shuo,” he said with a genial smile.

  “These two disciples are named Shen Bingyun and Su Ningxue. Both were born with Ice Spirit Bodies. Their auras are naturally pure and possess a mild affinity effect toward peers cultivating ice-based techniques. This is no mind-bewitching art.”

  His gaze swept across the Frost Condensation Peak disciples as he continued lightly,

  “Your sect’s disciples mostly possess mixed spiritual roots. It is only natural that such special constitutions feel unfamiliar—and that misunderstandings arise.”

  The expressions of Frost Condensation Peak’s elders varied. Han Jing, however, remained unmoved and spoke calmly.

  “Your sect’s talents are indeed impressive. Since you’ve traveled far, please rest first at the Cold Guest Pavilion. In three days’ time, we may proceed with exchanges and sparring. How does that sound?”

  Ouyang Shuo nodded with a smile.

  “As Master Han Jing arranges. Our two sects have interacted for many years—these exchanges are merely to verify the Dao. Let us not allow them to harm our harmony.”

  From among Frost Condensation Peak’s elders stepped forward a slightly plump, rosy-faced old man. He clasped his hands toward Ouyang Shuo with a grin.

  “Old friend Ouyang, it’s been twenty years. Still thinking about my Cold Plum Brew?”

  Ouyang Shuo’s eyes lit up.

  “Brother Song! I spotted you earlier! This time, you must let me drink a few extra jars—last time you were far too stingy, only bringing out one! I wasn’t even warmed up!”

  Song the Elder laughed.

  “It’s not that I was stingy—you old drunk are simply terrifying. No amount would ever satisfy you.”

  As the two laughed, the other Snowbound Alliance elders found acquaintances of their own. The subtle tension dissipated quickly as the senior figures from both sects chatted animatedly, sharing curious tales from the northern cultivation world.

  Such as the granddaughter of a Tianjian Sect elder eloping with a musician from Illusory Sound Valley—infuriating the elder enough to pursue them for three thousand li, only to be moved by a rendition of Phoenix Seeking Its Mate and ultimately bless the union.

  Or a disciple of Ice Soul Palace stealing the sect’s treasured Millennium Snow Lotus and fleeing into the mortal world to open a clinic. After healing the sick for ten years, he returned to surrender himself—and was punished lightly, only sentenced to three years of wall-facing meditation due to accumulated merit.

  Or rumors of an ancient cave abode emerging deep within the Extreme Northern Abyss, prompting major sects to dispatch experts to investigate.

  The disciples listened, enraptured. Yun Che, too, gained a vague impression of the broader northern cultivation landscape.

  As he pondered, he suddenly sensed a gaze upon him.

  Looking up, he met the eyes of Su Ningxue, the woman in violet.

  She smiled faintly at him, her gaze clear and seemingly without malice.

  Yun Che returned a slight nod and shifted his eyes away, his vigilance only deepening. He did not believe himself special enough to attract attention among dozens of disciples from two sects.

  Su Ningxue, however, felt a trace of surprise.

  Born with an Ice Spirit Body, her aura was naturally pure and carried a subtle affinity effect. Among her peers, few could remain entirely unaffected. Yet this grey-robed youth had been the first to regain clarity, his gaze calm and focused, devoid of the slightest trace of confusion.

  She glanced at him again but sensed nothing unusual—his aura seemed ordinary, roughly at the third level of Qi Condensation.

  As the elders conversed, the disciples of both sects quietly observed one another, preparing in silence for the exchange three days hence. The Snowbound Alliance disciples were faintly shrouded in an indistinct layer of icy mist, their auras restrained and difficult to read at a glance.

  Yun Che took careful note. This method of aura concealment was clearly more refined and natural than Frost Condensation Peak’s commonly used Aura Suppression Technique.

  Most Frost Condensation Peak disciples focused on prominent figures like Shen Bingyun and Su Ningxue. Yun Che, however, noticed a detail others overlooked—

  When Snowbound Alliance disciples exchanged glances among themselves, their eyes would, intentionally or otherwise, flick toward a man standing at the very end of their formation.

  The man wore a green robe, appeared to be around thirty, with unremarkable features and a gentle aura. He was utterly inconspicuous within the crowd. Yet whenever another disciple glanced at him, a faint trace of respect would flash through their eyes.

  Yun Che looked at the green-robed man once more, then lowered his gaze, betraying no further interest.

  Snow continued to fall upon the ice platform. The disciples of both sects stood quietly. The brocade-wrapped bundle on Yun Che’s shoulder swayed gently in the wind, revealing a sliver of golden sword hilt.

  Among the Snowbound Alliance ranks, Shen Bingyun’s gaze swept over that flash of gold. His brow lifted slightly, and a faint, unreadable smile curved his lips.

  It seemed that the exchange three days later would not be dull.

  true core figure of the Snowbound Alliance?

  The brilliant Shen Bingyun, the serene Su Ningxue—

  or the inconspicuous green-robed man standing quietly at the rear?

  do you think it was the void energy instinctively protecting him?

  or a sign that his mindset has already begun to transform?